THE EVOLUTION OF MUSIC

As a child during the early 60s I remember my father playing his records (vinyl) on his turntable connected to two very small speakers. He had a small collection of records and his favourites were Nana Mouskouri, The Tremeloes  and Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass just to name a few.

Fast forward 2012. Today, we store music in portable miniature devices in compressed format. Even the names of musicians I mentioned are unknown to many. We now listen to Rihanna, Katy Perry and Flo Rida. The rhythm, melody, harmony and even lyrics have morphed into more complex and synthesized sounds. The equipment has become more sophisticated and musicians are able to virtually record ‘perfect’ recordings. To some, music has lost its ‘natural’ sound. Listening equipment such as  Mp3 is portable and for home audio, an enthusiast is able to set-up a 6.1 channel sound system.

The music genre has multiplied over the decades. The genres have become so diverse that at times it is controversial and difficult to classify. Hip-hop and rap were unheard of during the 60s. Nevertheless, there are some elements of jazz and blues in it. There are less lyrics which we are able to mimic these days without practice due to the fast paced tempo and sometimes over-stressed pronunciation coupled with profanities.

There is a downside that comes with progress and advanced technology in the music industry. The most apparent being copyright infringement. Producers, musicians and even retailers face an uphill battle against this menace. Peer-to-peer file sharing is rampant and easily accessible thereby making it uncontrollable. One of the most famous copyright infringement cases involved Napster which was a file sharing site that allowed people to download music. Eventually, they had to shut down their site.

I wonder what music would sound like in the next generation. Will there be a new genre with elements of hip-hop and rap?. Will there be a new kind of format?. Whatever the outcome, I am sure music will stay alive and keep on growing. After all, ‘Without music life would be a mistake’- Nietzsche.